And Sparta Global then didn't bother turning up to the Employment Tribunal Gareth Corfield Mon 21 Dec 2020 // 11:45 UTC Share Copy Updated A company hailed as the UK's top tech employer tried to diddle a former trainee out of £2,000 in unlawfully withheld back pay – and a judge was startled when he discovered how Sparta Global treats its new hires. The London-headquartered firm, which boasts of delivering "top business and technology professionals", in fact forces its trainees to spend three months without pay before locking them into a two-year contract. If these so-called "Spartans" want out before that two-year period ends, the company threatens them with a £22,000 "training fee", as Croydon Employment Tribunal found.